The Cycling Gear Bradley Wiggins Used to Smash the Cycling World Record

Sir Bradley had a pleasant bike ride over the weekend, only he took it a bit further than most. He rode 54.526km in his one-hour sprint event, taking the record of fellow Brit cyclist Alex Dowsett.

Wiggins was smashing it around the Lee Valley velodrome on something a bit more specialised than the £179 Halfords clunkers most of the population wobble along cycle paths upon. His bike was, to give it its full title, a Pinarello Bolide HR, a high-end road bike enhanced specifically for the job.

Car maker Jaguar worked with Pinarello to contribute to the aerodynamics of the bike, resulting in a machine that's apparently 7.5% more aerodynamically efficient than the standard road version of the Bolide.

A one-piece titanium handlebar reduced drag and weight, the front fork was placed as close to the wheel as possible to minimise drag, plus things like brakes, gear levers and a rucksack with a packed lunch, picnic blanket and Kindle in were also jettisoned to save weight.

The bike helped Wiggins to his 54.526km target, way ahead of the previous 52.937 record held by Dowsett. Wiggins said: "That's the closest I will come to knowing what it's like to have a baby. It's tortuous. It's such a relief and was such a build-up. We've been through so much, my wife and children know so much about air pressure now." [Sky News, Cycling Weekly]